2 Years
by Cryztalz
Summary: It had been two years. Two long years since they had heard Aria's sweet voice. Two long years since she'd seen the light of day. AU 7x18
1. Prologue

**Hey, people!**  
 **  
**

 **This is my first story on FanFiction, and I'm really nervous to how you'll react to it, but the idea popped into my head and I just had to write it! Hope you enjoy!**

 **-**

 **Chapter One: Prologue**

 ****

It had been two years. Two long years since they had heard their friend's sweet voice. Two years since Aria Montgomery had seen the light of day.

They preferred not to think about it, really. Just forget she ever existed, and move on. After all, what Aria had done seemed unforgivable. Day after day, month after month, they pretended she was never their friend, until the two year anniversaryof  
that night.

After all, she had caused Spencer's parents to divorce, destroyed Alison and Emily's nursery and completely messed up Hanna's life. But what say what you do, what she did that night was selfless enough to earn forgiveness. But still they remained  
unrelenting, refusing to forgive her, or Ezra for that matter.

And so two years had passed. Two years since the accident. Two years since Aria had seen her friends. And now she was lying unconscious in a hospital bed where she certaintly shouldn't have been, fighting for her life.

And although it was their fault, the four girls felt nothing. Absolutely nothing.

 **I know this chapter was short, but I just wanted to get the story set up and set in motion the events. Remember, this is a 7x18 AU, and this story takes place after the girls find Aria in the hoodie. Feel free to R &R!(feedback is always welcome)**


	2. That Night

**I'm back!**

 **I was actually going to post this sooner, but my computer broke down and there was a ton of schoolwork, so I had to delay this. But I hope the wait was worth it, because I seriously took a lot of time planning this chapter. Also, please excuse my language; I had very little time to proofread.**

 **I also have an announcement to make- I have a big national exam coming up in a few months, and since I live in Singapore, where competition is very stiff and you will be a disgrace if you fail, I will be going on hiatus in a few weeks' time. Rest assured I will update after the exam, though!**

 **Anyway, I've done enough babbling. Here's chapter 2!**

 **Chapter 2: That Night**

 _The figure, shrouded in black, arrived at the deserted playground. A beep was heard._

' _You do look good in a uniform! - A.D.'_

 _The figure whirled around, panicked that the very person she was here to meet was tricking her. She raised her head, revealing deep chestnut-brown eyes and shoulder length brown hair._

 _Crack._

 _Aria raced towards the source of the snapping twig, determined to catch A.D. and end this game. But no one was there. She turned around, searching for the elusive puppet master pulling her strings… and failed to notice her four best friends in the whole world behind her._

 _Someone yanked down her hood, though she wasn't quite sure who, and she whipped around, shocked and panicked that her friends had found her._

" _Aria?"_

"Stop pacing, you're giving me a headache."

Spencer Hastings turned around to find Hanna Marin frowning at her, exasperated. "Besides, there's nothing left to ponder. Alex was A.D. Problem solved. Now sit down and _relax_ for once in your life," Hanna chided.

Sighing, Spencer did as she was told, settling down on the couch as Emily Fields and Alison DiLaurentis walked through the door.

"Glad to see you convinced her to stop overthinking," Emily chuckled. "Overthinking? I'm not overthinking anything, I'm just wondering: would we have ended up walking on all fours if the grass back then was a foot shorter? Cause if it was, we wouldn't have the need to get ourselves higher and we would still be-" Spencer began. "Please shut up, you're giving me a headache," Hanna growled. "Guys, stop fighting, our show is on!" Alison yelled.

The four friends grinned and sat themselves on the couch of the Hastings' residence, turning on the television as the theme song began to play-

Then they were interrupted by rude knocking.

"We're coming! Give us a second!" Spencer yelled. The knocking didn't stop, getting more and more persistent until Hanna growled, stormed up to the door and yanked it open.

"Listen up, you! I don't care who you are or why you're here, but you'd better make whatever you want to say quick, or I'll-" she stopped dead, eyes widening, before narrowing back. "Oh. It's _you_ ," she spat.

Looking back at her from the doorway, baby-blue eyes that had once been filled with love but were now empty pools of rage directed purely at the four girls, hair unkempt and matted, looking like he hadn't shaved in weeks (which he probably hadn't) was a very, very mad Ezra Fitz. Just as Hanna made to close the door, he held his hand out. "Wait. I'm not here to fight. Just let me in," he said. "That's what you've been saying almost every day for the past two years, and you always end up fighting with us." Hanna retorted. "Han, who is it?" Alison asked, walking over. "Oh. Ezra," she muttered, "Look, I know how much you love her, but we're not going to go visit. So just leave us alone," Alison sighed.

Ezra softened a little, hardened expression softening. "I know, but please just give it a go. Just once would be good enough. You owe it to her," he mumbled. Alison stiffened, recalling that night they didn't mention anymore. "We owe it to her? In any case, she owes us! We trusted her, we told her everything, and all along, she was working for frickin' A! I don't care what she tried to do to make up for it, I don't care how brave or selfless it was, I don't care that she saves our effing lives, BECAUSE SHE SHOULD HAVE DIED WHEN SHE DID WHAT SHE DID!" Alison screamed.

Ezra's mouth was agape, his expression one of pure hurt and betrayal. "No, I didn't mean it like that, I… I…" Alison stammered, backing away as Ezra's face swelled red. "YOU BITCH! I'LL PUT YOU BACK IN THAT HOLE!" he roared, lunging at Alison, when all of a sudden, Hanna slammed the door shut, heaving her weight against it so that he couldn't break in. "What happened?" Spencer and Emily asked, coming over. "Ezra," answered Alison, still shaking like a leaf even as Emily comforted her.

What the girls didn't know was that Ezra was still on the other side, a single tear sliding down his cheek as he slumped against the door.

Bright white lights flooded her vision as she slowly pried open her eyelids, forcing her to close them again. _Where am I?_ She thought, blinking as she adjusted to the light after two years in darkness. Her whole body ached, and the annoying beeping next to her didn't help either. Then everything came flooding back all at once, A.D., the accident and all. Her phone! The beeping had to be her phone!

She bolted upright too quickly, pain searing through her entire body as she groaned and lay back down. A nurse dashed in, followed by a doctor, both yelling 'she's awake!' like she was a miracle patient. Wait… why were there doctors in her house? She tracked the source of the beeping to a heart monitor. Oh no. She was in the hospital.

"Shh… It's okay. Just lie down. Now tell me, what is your name?" the nurse asked. "A… Aria… Montgomery…" she gasped, breathes getting shallower and shallower as she struggled to stop falling back into a deep sleep. "Good. What's the last thing you remember?" the doctor asked. Aria racked her brain for the memory, causing her to wheeze even more as she wondered where her friends were.

"I… I was pushing my friends out of the hut… And then there was an explosion… And I can't remember… what happened next…" she choked out.

And then she went out like a light, falling back into a coma.

 **Well! That was chapter 2, and now hopefully you have a good idea on what happened to Aria. Quick footnote: I won't have much shipping in this story because I really want to just focus on the Liars becoming friends again, though I will include bits of Ezria, Haleb, Spoby and Emison (even though I'm not the biggest fan of it) in between. Hope you enjoyed this, and please Review!**


	3. Shattered Friendships

**I'm back again!**

 **Firstly, I want to apologise for any confusion in the last chapter with the switching of POVs. Somehow, my computer glitched really badly and deleted all the chapter breaks. I'll try to edit that soon, but for now just try to imagine where the lines should be.**

 **Secondly, a big thank you to everyone who favorited/followed the story or reviewed. It means so much to me since I didn't really think this story would succeed (it was just a way for me to relax).**

 **Finally, I just need to clarify that from this point on, the story is in an AU. Which means the rest of 7x18, 7x19 and the finale didn't happen (except for the part where the find out Alex is A and she gets arrested).**

 **Anyway, here's Chapter 3!**

 **.xXx.**

 **Chapter 3 – Shattered friendships**

 _Four beeps rang out, each belonging to a different phone. Spencer, Alison, Hanna and Emily looked down at their phones, stiffening in that typical reaction to an A text._

' _Roses are red, violets are blue,_

 _You picked on my friend,_

 _Now I'll pick on you. –A.D.'  
_

" _What does it mean?" Emily asked. "It means that A.D. is being her usual bitchy self again," Spencer groaned. The girls sighed, not looking forward to more torture. "Wait. A.D. referred to Aria as her friend, which can only mean one thing. Whatever Aria said last night was a big fat lie," Hanna observed. "I don't know, Han. She seemed pretty genuine," Emily countered._

" _Because she's ARIA, for god's sake, Em! We've all been turned into liars by A! Of course she seemed genuine! She was lying to us to that we would forgive her and let her back into our lives, then she would spill our secrets to A one by one! She's just being A!" Hanna practically screamed. Emily bit her lip, unsure of what to think._

" _Say for a second she really is committed to A. What do we do?" Spencer asked. "The only thing we can do," Alison replied, "we confront her."_

.xXx.

Hanna snuggled deeper into Caleb's arms as they began their movie night. They were rarely with each other anymore, what with Caleb constantly working and Hanna's non-stop shopping. For that reason, Hanna enjoyed these rare moments of togetherness, when it was just the two of them.

"Hanna?" Caleb said.

"Yea?" she replied half-heartedly. "So a little birdie told me that Ezra came over yesterday-" he began, but Hanna cut him off. "Oh yes, that guy. If you ask me, he's just too blinded by love to see the snake in a kitten's clothing looking back at him," she sighed. "Snake in _sheep's_ clothing, Han. And I for one think that Aria really meant it when she said she was sorry."

Hanna nodded blindly, too busy shoving popcorn in her mouth to register her fiancée's words. "So… You'll go visit her?" Caleb asked hopefully. "Sure, why not-"she began, before her eyes widened with shock. "No, of course not!" she corrected, springing to her feet. "And if you thought for one second that I would forgive her after what she did to me, to all of us, then you're as daft as Ezra!" Hanna barked. She raced upstairs, locking herself in the bathroom, and sighed, blowing hair out of her face. Why did everyone want her to be so _forgiving_?

.xXx.

He raced down the aisle, not acknowledging the flustered receptionist in the slightest. He had to see her _now_. Before she went back to sleep.

Leaping into the elevator just a second before the doors closed, he punched the floor number, to the bewilderment of a patient in the lift with him, and raced out before the doors fully opened. Ward 346… 347… 348… He skidded to a stop before the corner room, a tiny ward labelled '359'. He practically kicked the door open, flew in and dropped to his knees beside the bed, where the love of his life was still hooked up to what seemed like millions of machines, her frail, tiny body shaking with pain. But this time was different from all the other visits. This time, Aria was very much awake, the pillows propped up so that she could sit upright.

"Aria!" Ezra cried, tears of pure joy already flowing down his cheeks. She was awake and alive despite all odds. Aria smiled back, but her expression soon changed to sadness and confusion. "Ezra, where are the girls?" she whispered sadly. He froze. Of course he would eventually have to tell the truth.

"Aria, if I tell the truth, do you promise not to freak out?" Ezra said, dead serious. "Of course I- Ezra, what's going on?" Aria replied, worry etched on her face. Ezra took a deep breath. "The girls… They never forgave you for helping A. They… They refused to come," Ezra stated firmly. Aria's expression remained the same. _Three, two, one…_ he thought.

"Is this some kind of sick joke?" Aria shot, unamused. "Cause if it is, I know that they're hiding behind that door, waiting to jump out and scare me any second now…" Obviously, nothing happened. "Ezra..? This is a joke right?" she whimpered, tears streaming down her face. Ezra didn't reply. "But… But why wouldn't they forgive me? I didn't mean to do what I did and I know it was dumb and crazy of me but I realise my mistake now… And… And…"

The beeps on the heart monitor went from 80 per minute to about a hundred and fifty in seconds. "Aria! Calm down! Don't do this to me! Not when you just woke up!" Ezra screamed, the memory of what Aria had said to him on that rooftop flooding in. "No, you stay awake, do you hear me? Don't you dare close your eyes!" the voice echoed. She had done everything to save him. Now it was his turn. "SOMEBODY GET A DOCTOR IN HERE!" he yelled, trying to ensure Aria stayed awake. Doctors rushed in, Ezra was pushed out, and all he could do was to sit and wait.

The doctor emerged, pale and shaking as he delivered the news to Ezra, and in that millisecond, what little care he had left for the other four girls vanished. The world seemed to go in slow motion. As the doctors still in the ward came out, shooting Ezra sorry looks.

No. This could not be happening. He now was left with just two options: continue to wait for a miracle, or take action.

And after everything that happened, he knew nothing good ever came out of waiting. Nothing good at all.

.xXx.

"We're having a spa day today. No buts, ands, ifs or no's allowed," Alison announced. Spencer groaned, dragged away from her work by her best friends. "After all this Ezra drama, we deserve a break. Get in the car now," Emily commanded. The four girls walked out the door, chit-chatting and gossiping like they did when they were teens. Or as much as they could, anyway. It was like A never existed, all that drama never happened, they were now a carefree clique missing a friend whom they no longer waited for.

That is, until Ezra came back.

He was looking even worse that the day before, eyes dark and murderous, fists balled up in fury, deep circles under his eyes. He seemed to no longer care about his hair or his clothes; both were in a mess. "What now," Spencer muttered.

"You four are the reason everything happened to Aria. You are the reason why this is happening. It's all your fault!" Ezra bellowed. "Woah, hold your horses. First of all, I would have thought you'd come to us much sooner for what happened to Aria. Second of all, haven't you already tried to get us to visit? Third of all, we already said no, so leave us alone, for the last time!" Spencer fired back.

And for the first time in a long while, the rage and fire in Ezra's eyes snuffed out. Before it always just flickered slightly before coming back stronger than ever, but not he seemed to have given up hope completely. Spencer heaved a sigh of relief.

"You're right. I should stop fighting. If Aria can't fight by me, then I'll have to join her," he mumbled sadly. "Ezra, what do you mean?" Emily asked softly. Ezra looked up, spitting, "What do you care?" Emily shrank back. "Tell us, Ezra. What happened?" Spencer said, half of her wanting to forgive Aria, to go back to the way things were, when it was just Team Sparia against the world. Ezra grimaced, looking back at the girls he had once taught sadly. Then he delivered the news that made the girls' blood stop cold, but not in the way you'd expect.

"Aria's dead."

.xXx.

 **Please don't hate me. I really love Aria because we both love writing so much, but I think that when she started working for A.D. she was out of her mind. Seriously.**

 **Some people may also tell me that I'm focusing too much on certain Liars and leaving out the rest. Well, for now that's my plan, but don't worry, I'll write about the others over the next few chapters.**

 **Lastly, another BIG thank you to all the people who reviewed and followed/favorited my story; it means so much to me. The next chapter will be up in 2-3 days, but if I have the time, I'll post it tomorrow! Stay tuned!**


	4. Reaction Time

**And I'm back! I have a few short points to address, but you don't really have to read them.**

 **Firstly, Undeniable Mystique reviewed the last chapter, pointing out that the Liars shouldn't be acting cold toward Aria if she tried to redeem herself. Thanks for reminding me of that, I totally didn't think of it, but now I've come up with a way to cover that. It should be revealed in several chapters' time.**

 **Secondly, my computer is getting really old and glitchy (I should really get another one), so there may be several typos and some confusing paragraphing in these next few chapters, so please just bear with it until I get a new keyboard or laptop.**

 **Thirdly, a few of you were really shocked with that last chapter's ending. I wasn't a big fan of it either, but it was the only way for the story to flow the way I wanted it. Don't worry; in future fanfics (if any) there won't be any character death. Or will there? ;)**

 **Finally, I know the past few chapters have been really short, but I'll try to lengthen them over the next few chapters.**

 **That should be all the announcements for now, so enjoy the chapter!**

 **.xXx.**

 **Chapter 4: Reaction Time**

Human instinct can have many definitions.

It could mean a "genetically hard-wired behaviour that enhances our ability to cope with vital environmental contingencies". Or it could be revenge, tribal loyalty or greed, or even that tiny voice in your head that tells you to do the right thing. It can also be defined as an instant reaction to a scenario. Or it could even mean denial in the face of bad news.

For Spencer, those last two held true.

After all that Aria had done to them, all the lies she'd told, surely Spencer shouldn't have cared less that she was gone. In fact, she should be celebrating. But given the suddenness of the news and the fact that Spencer had actually _wanted_ to reconcile with her ex-best friend, that wasn't the case.

And indeed, it seemed that all the other girls had the same thought. Because when Ezra stood before them, teary-eyed and sniffling as he announced the news, all of them had their mouths agape, wanting to say something mean but not having it in them to do so. Or their voice, for that matter, which was stuck inches before their mouths, rendering them speechless.

"But… But… She's _what_?" Hanna stammered.

"Do I need to say it again?" Ezra shot her a glare.

"But… How? She can't be dead, not after managing to stay alive for two years!" Alison said. Ezra was suddenly raging again, furiously staring down the girls. "She can't be dead? Well she is. And it's all your fault! She died wondering why you girls weren't there for her!" Ezra yelled.

"She deserved it, Ezra. You know full well she was working for A," Emily sighed, not fully convinced.

"We all made mistakes, didn't we? Alison was a bitch; Spencer kidnapped my son," Ezra glared at her, who mumbled that Malcolm wasn't even his, "Hanna shoplifted and Aria… Well, she was just as lost as all of us were. Even I wrote that stupid book," Ezra sniffled. "But the thing is, she tried to prove it was all a mistake. She tried to redeem herself. Something that none of you did as well as her," Ezra said, "and in return, you shut her out when she needed you the most, even after she saved your lives. And in my eyes, that's as bad as A.D." And with that, he stormed off, leaving the Liars speechless.

.xXx.

 _Spencer sighed tiredly as she put down her bag. Aria, sweet Aria, whom she had trusted so much, was the reason for her parents' divorce. It seemed almost impossible, she would never do that! There had to be something more to it than a stupid file on Ezra that hardly seemed it would get him into jail._

That's it, _she thought,_ I'll just have to go ask her myself. Face to face. _Spencer picked her bag back up again and walked out the door._

 _As she approached her car, she began rummaging in her bag for her keys. "That's weird. I'm sure they were here somewhere," she said to herself, frowning. Deeper and deeper she dug, until she finally found the tiny piece of metal. But when she tried to pull it out, she found it much heavier that it should have been. She tugged at it, finally managing to retrieve her keys… And a small, leather bound notebook with a note attached tied to it._

' _Keep your enemies close, and they might just decide to help you, just not for your own good. – A.D.'_

 _Not now. She didn't have the time for this now. Just as she made to dump the notebook back into her bag, she noticed the familiar, small handwriting on it – handwriting that belonged to a short little brunette. Eyes widening, she flipped the book open to a dog-eared page._

' _They still don't suspect anything about the master plan, just as we expected,' it read. Spencer frowned. What master plan?_

Never mind a stupid book, nothing's stopping me from talking to Aria, _she thought._

 _But if only she had heeded her own words after what happened later that night, when she read the book again, she would have noticed the slightest differences in this handwriting and Aria's, like how the r's were more shaky than they should have been, as if someone was exerting all her effort to perfect it, but got it very wrong._

 _If only she had listened to the voice inside telling her something was very, very wrong, then maybe, none of the drama two years later would have happened._

.xXx.

It was just another one of Emily's secrets that she often had very strange dreams at night. Not the kind of Radley-patient-mental kind of strange, but more like situations she wished were real. When Alison went missing all those years ago, she found herself dreaming of the happy day when she was found alive, and now it was happening again.

This time with the death of her tiny, sweet ex-friend.

She found herself in a wide, open moor, deserted except for a familiar barn; the same barn where it had all began. And walking into it, she caught a glimpse of pink. Wasn't Aria's hair pink before she left for Iceland? Gasping, she raced after the figure into the barn… And smashed face-first into a bale of hay.

She heard giggling and pried herself away to find Aria just there, her hair still long and pink, her face still innocent. It was like she'd never worked for A, or even knew she existed.

"Really, Em, can't you look before you run? You'll end up smashing into walls and falling into sewers at this rate!" Aria grinned. She was right there with her… And yet she was gone. "I've gone mental… You're not supposed to be here. You're… You're dead…" Emily stammered.

The younger version of Aria smiled sadly. "And yet I'm here, aren't I?"

"Why did you do it, Aria? What made you turn your back on all of us, and for Ezra and that stupid file? You could have told us! And what made you think that if you saved us that day, we would let you back into our lives so that you could ruin it again? A.D. warned us about you since you deserted her, Aria, and we aren't that dumb!" Emily seethed. Aria just stared ahead blankly.

"Since when do you trust A.D.? After everything she did?" she whispered. Emily froze, dumbstruck. Aria finally turned to look at her.

"You want answers, I know that. But I can't tell you. Not here, not now. So I need you to listen very closely," Aria paused, and glanced over her shoulder, "sometimes, the answers are right under your nose. You just have to look back - way back – to when the truth was first revealed to me." Emily heard a rustling sound. "Aria, what's that sound?" she asked. Aria's eyes widened, and she pushed Emily out of the barn.

"Remember, Em, just because the answer looks obvious doesn't mean it is!" Aria yelled. "I don't-" Emily began.

BOOM.

There was an ear-shattering explosion in the barn, just like the one that night, except now, Aria didn't make it our bloody and hurt, now it was as if she was never there at all.

"NO!" Emily screamed, reaching out in her dream, but finding herself bolted upright, sweaty and teary, in bed. She was back in the real world now.

"Em..? Are you okay?" Alison asked groggily from her side of the bed. "Yeah… I'm fine…" Emily mumbled, yawning and laying back down. What did Aria mean? When the truth was first revealed to her… that could mean many things. Was it that time when Ezra told her about the book? Or when he Maggie told her about Malcolm? No… It had to do with A…

Yawning, Emily turned over and snuggled into the blanket. She would ponder that over in the morning. For now, she needed some shut-eye.

.xXx.

When you lose a best friend (or even your ex-best friend), most people mourn for days. It was a completely different case for Hanna. She wasn't exactly celebrating, nor was she mourning, it was more like she was acknowledging that she was gone. For the next few days, she was becoming Hefty Hanna again, eating so much that she was almost unrecognisable, or else working out non-stop. But she seemed to be relatively unaffected by it, other than the fact she was either eating or running all day.

Still, she felt there was a piece missing in the puzzle. A piece that was extremely hard to find. If Aria had indeed saved them only do… that… then why risk her life doing it? She died because of it! Unless Alex had lied… It was what she did best, after all!

Then it hit her. Why had she been so stupid? Why had all of them believed their deranged stalker? They were just looking for a whipping girl to vent their frustrations on, who happened to be poor, tiny Aria.

There was definitely a piece missing. Now two of the liars knew it. It was just a matter of who found it first.

.xXx.

 **And that was Chapter 4! Hope you liked it! I spent** **a lot** **of time on it, and this time I even got the opinions of my friends when I was writing it, because this chapter is a very important on, trust me. Until next time, adios!**


	5. Truth To Be Told

**And I'm back again! Sorry for the longer wait this time! Fanfiction was glitching majorly, and my computer broke down again.**

 **This chapter and the last chapter contain a lot of answers, so look out closely! To quote dream-Aria, "the answer is sometimes right under your nose"! But first, I'm going to get on with this chapter's announcements, although you can skip them!**

 **A few guest users have been spouting hate on my story, so I just need to ask, is there any point I can improve on? I'm not saying I need every person to love this story; I just want to try my best not to offend anyone. You don't have to answer my question; I can always figure it out myself!**

 **Next, I want to reply to both the guest users who started hating on Aria and Ezra. I just want to say that I thought the same things as you when I watched that episode (though I wasn't as vulgar), which is why I decided to post this story. I really wanted to put another perspective to it, because a) Ezra yelling at the Liars was unreasonable and b) THAT FILE WAS SO DAMN STUPID.** _ **THAT**_ **WAS WHY ARIA BETRAYED HER LIFELONG FRIENDS?! No way. So I came up with this story to satisfy my inner fury, and to my surprise people actually liked it!**

 **Third, I really need to thank my regular reviewers. I've said this about a million times already, but I'm really touched by how much you like my story. So a big, BIG thank you to Momma Duck, lileyfan1415, Chobits3, and any others that I missed out. You're the reason this story even continued!**

 **Finally, a few people sent me PMs asking what the heck actually happened that sent Aria into a coma, since I was really ambiguous with it. I did that on purpose, I promise to explain it in detail soon. Just you wait! ;)**

 **Oh, and halfway through writing the chapter, I realised that I'd forgotten the disclaimer, so here it is. I do not own PLL, or else Aria would never have betrayed her friends!**

 **To anyone who read through all of that, thanks for troubling you with my pointless babbling! On with Chapter 5!**

 **.xXx.**

 **Chapter 5: Truth to be told**

She looked so happy, so light. Not at all the way she looked the last time Spencer saw her, guilty for keeping that secret from her friends.

 _No, don't think like that_ , Spencer thought, closing the old photo album. Aria had betrayed them for _Ezra_ , friggin' _Ezra;_ even after all they'd gone through together. And to make matters worse, she did what she did to make them care about her again, just so that she could continue to do A.D.'s dirty work. Luckily A.D. had warned them, or else Aria would be dead long before-

Wait. Something didn't add up. Why would A.D. warn them of the plan she herself had come up with? She was willing to take risks, but surely not _that_ willing? It could only mean one thing. A.D. was lying. Aria was telling the truth when she said she was sorry. How could she be so stupid? She trusted the person who'd ruined her life!

Spencer flipped open the album again, this time to a photo of the five best friends taken the summer before the whole Ali fiasco. Aria's smile was brighter than a thousand stars, the pink streaks in her hair still there, her eyes twinkling with happiness. A tear splotched onto her face as Spencer caressed it. Blinking back tears, she but the album back on her shelf. Ezra was right. She should have visited Aria. She died because of her.

 _Oh Aria,_ she thought, _I'm so sorry. If you can hear me, then please just forgive me. I was so stupid. I should have believed you._ Sniffing, Spencer stood up and walked into her bathroom. Ever since Toby started late-night shifts, he was hardly awake at the same time as Spencer. She sighed as she looked herself in the mirror. What had she done? She'd killed someone!

"I can't think like this! Aria wouldn't want it!" Spencer said. And yet Aria wanted nothing more than for the Liars to believe her, but they didn't. There had to be a way to make it up to her, even if she was dead…

Then her eyes snapped open. She could make it up to her. Gathering materials and her keys, she walked out of the house to the perfect place to carry out her plan.

Best to start late rather than never.

.xXx.

" _You just have to look back – way back – to when the truth was first revealed to me._ "

What did it mean? What truth? And what kind of answers would Emily find there? There were so many possible answers, all of which seemed impossible. It was like high school all over again.

Rubbing her temples, Emily grabbed scrap paper and listed down all the possibilities. It was only when she'd reached the 79th possibility that she decided it would get her nowhere, so she decided to shortlist the answers instead, hoping it would help.

It didn't.

All the answers seemed as possible as the next, and yet also as wrong as the previous one. Eventually, only 5 examples seemed to make sense, which was an improvement.

Ezra's confession about his book

Malcolm and Maggie

Jackie

Byron's affair

When Ali's body was found

Given that most of them were Ezra-centred, they didn't really seem to make sense, but it was all Emily could think of at the moment. It was probably best to start with the A-related ones. Namely the discovery of Ali's body. Grabbing her coat, she trudged out into the cold night – right to the place the memorial was held.

.xXx.

For Hanna, things weren't going much better.

There was definitely a piece missing, but it was near impossible to find out what it was. In any other case, Hanna would have groaned and flopped back onto bed, but this was Aria, whom she'd wronged. She had to do this.

She'd tried calling Spencer and Emily to help, but both times it went straight to voicemail. Alison was out of the question – she had kids to care for. And so, with no idea at all where to start, she'd decided investigate alone. But not before lunch, of course.

It was only when Hanna was driving home from lunch that she noticed the Montgomery's house. She's actually deliberately avoided it for the past two years, but she felt that she needed to express her condolences to Aria's family. But to her surprise, when she got there, she found the front door wide open, Byron Montgomery carrying out some suitcases and loading them into the car.

Hanna parked and got out, asking, "Mr Montgomery, where are you going?"

Byron sighed, replying, "Hanna, haven't seen you here for a while! To tell the truth… We're moving. After the funeral, we're moving to New York. Ella and I just couldn't stand all the drama going on here, and Aria's gone now, so we decided…" He swallowed, before continuing, "Ella's out with Mike for lunch. Feel free to look go into the house, I think there might be some stuff Aria wanted you to have. I really hope you come to the funeral, Hanna." And with that, he walked back inside.

"Some stuff that Aria wanted me to find? But she moved in with Ezra! All her stuff is there!" Hanna cried, running after him. Unless Aria knew one day she would have to go… And left them a clue…

Realisation stuck her like a lightning bolt and she raced up the stairs, to Aria's old room. She'd kept a diary, hadn't she? And that diary would contain the answers to why she'd helped A.D. in the first place. The room seemed mostly the same as the last time she'd seen it. Apparently, her parents had yet to clear it.

Hanna walked over to the desk, heart thumping with excitement. She was about to find the answers. She was about to make it up to Aria.

But to her dismay, the diary was gone. Missing. Nowhere to be found. Did Alex take it? And then it hit Hanna again as she groaned with realisation. It wasn't A.D. who'd tried to cover up her tracks by stealing it. It was Aria who'd removed it, and Hanna knew exactly where it was. She'd said it herself.

Ezra.

.xXx.

Emily arrived at the church by the time it got dark. After a thorough examination of it, she found nothing out of the ordinary. Just as she was about to leave, disappointed, she saw Spencer not too far away, busying herself with something at the park. It wouldn't hurt to take a look.

"Spence?" she called out.

Spencer whirled around to face Emily. "Oh, Em. I was just… Doing stuff…" she hung her head low. "I thought we ought to honour her. I mean. I felt that something was wrong, and I realised how stupid we were for trusting my deranged twin. Don't be mad, please," Spencer explained, stepping aside.

It turned out that Spencer had been setting up a small memorial site for Aria in her favourite park. In the centre of it, there was a small, framed photo of Aria when she was younger, beaming with happiness. Candles and flowers flanked either side of it, each one a symbol of how much Spencer wished she could take her words back.

"Spence, I… I'm not mad. I think you did a great job," Emily whispered. She pulled out the list from her pocket, tore off a blank part, and wrote a short note to Aria, placing it on the grass next to the photo. "Come on, Spence. It's late, we should go home," she said softly. Spencer nodded and walked away with Emily.

Neither of them was aware that the memorial was in fact, not going to be needed at all.

.xXx.

Finally, the twins were asleep. Alison loved them a lot, but there were only so many tantrums she could handle.

She poured herself a cup of water and leaned against the dining table, her mind wandering to Aria. Why had she chosen to betray them the way she did? Why did she have to make Alison regret choosing her?

 _No_ , she scolded herself, _don't think like that_. Even if Aria had betrayed them, so what? She was gone now and all the suffering was over.

But indeed, if Alison hadn't chosen Aria to be part of her clique, she wouldn't know about A, and she wouldn't have had to die. But at the same time, Alison would have lost one of the greatest friends she'd ever had. She couldn't win!

But surely having one friend less was better than causing someone to lose their life, right? Why was thinking about these things so hard? And why had that stupid police report that might not even have done anything caused Aria to turn her back on them? Nothing made sense anymore.

Unless that file was fake. After all, Aria had either been partying and drunk in Syracuse or with the girls after she found out about the book and before she'd calmed down. It was almost impossible for her to write that report. And in their world, impossible meant impossible for the girls. Which meant there was more to it than that…

She was rudely snapped out of her thoughts by crying from upstairs. Sighing, she set down her mug and walked up to console her twins.

.xXx.

It was nearly midnight when the figure in red finally left the Montgomery residence. Sniffling slightly, he or she checked up on the houses of the other Liars. Convinced that everything was okay, they walked back to their abode, until something caught their eye.

The train of a red coat the colour of blood dragged after them as they walked up to it. Aria's memorial stood proudly on the ground, candles almost out of wax but still burning bright, like the sadness in Redcoat's heart. She picked up Emily's message.

 _I'm sorry for all the times we wronged you. Just know that we're regretting everything we did to you, and wishing things could turn out differently. Thank you for saving our lives._

Redcoat let a tear trickle down their face, touched by the sincerity of the note. Slowly, they lowered their hood to wipe it away. They tuned around to leave, but not before a passing car caught their face in its headlights, the driver shocked beyond belief.

Standing there in the park, in her flowing red coat, was the thought to be dead Aria Montgomery.

.xXx.

 **Surprise! She's back! I didn't plan on doing it, but some people sent a PM to ask me not to kill her off, and really, the story is for you guys, so why not change up the plan? Anyway, this way, the story will flow better. Please Review, and I'll see you in the next chapter!**


	6. To die, or not to die

**Hey again, people!**

 **I was originally going to post this much later, but thankfully the workload seems to be decreasing ever-so-slightly, so I can continue writing the story.**

 **This time around, I have nothing to address in the pre-chapter, so go ahead and enjoy Chapter 6!**

 **.xXx.**

 **Chapter 6: To die… Or not to die**

 _They didn't come. They didn't care. They didn't want to know her._

 _It was all Aria could think of as doctors got ready defibrillators to reive her. Aria knew she was dying, she could barely feel her legs, and it hurt just to breathe._ Let this be my punishment for betraying them _, she thought. At least now, they could forget she ever existed._

" _CLEAR!" a doctor yelled, as another sent the first wave of electricity through Aria's chest. It only made her feel worse. The doctor yelled out the command again, seemingly intent on saving the petite girl. Still nothing happened. Aria could feel herself slipping away, her eyes fighting to remain open…_

 _And the last thing she remembered before blacking out completely was the frantic yelling of doctors._

 _It was only a few minutes later that she woke up again, this time in a cold room, on a metal bed. Aria blinked in the sudden light, getting up. Someone squeaked, and she turned her head to face a nurse and a doctor. "I was just doing my rounds, then I heard her breathe!" the nurse whispered. The doctor ginned. "Ms Montgomery, you're alive! It's a miracle!" he exclaimed, "I'll go call Mr Fitz, then, and give you a full check-up. He left after you died for five minutes!"_

 _Aria frowned. She had died… for all of five minutes and yet Ezra had left immediately after the news was announced. He hadn't even said goodbye, as far as she could tell, before dashing off. Did he not care? Maybe he didn't after all._

" _Don't call Ezra. And don't tell anyone I ever came back, please," she said. The doctor looked taken aback, but Aria explained, "I… It's going to be a prank, of course. I'll show up there and scare the hell out of them." The doctor nodded reluctantly and grabbed the release papers._

 _Aria, of course, had no intention of pranking anybody. She knew that if she'd died, everyone would be so much happier without her. Still, she couldn't just abandon Rosewood and move away like Alison did. This time, it was very different – because Alex Drake was back, and the Liars were out of the frying pan… and in the inferno._

.xXx.

Alison drove down the roads like a maniac, racing along the familiar route to Spencer's. She was the only one who would understand, even if it was only slightly. Ignoring cries and honks of other drivers and going nearly fifty miles above the speed limit, Alison finally arrived at the house, leaped out of her car, and pounded on the door.

"Alison?" Spencer barely had time to answer it before she was hushed and interrupted by the other girl.

"I'm going to say something very crazy, and you're going to listen."

.xXx.

Emily was still no further along solving Aria's riddle, despite the twins being with Pam and her finally having some quiet. After a whole afternoon of pointless thinking, she'd dozed off on the couch, all the while never getting her mind off Aria.

 _The answers are right under your nose…_

Emily snapped awake, the answer flashing in front of her. Aria had never mentioned that the answer had to do with A.D. Come to think of it, she'd never really mentioned it being a place either. So when had something been revealed to Aria that had changed her completely...?

When she found out about Byron's affair.

She was always so bubbly and innocent before that, but afterwards, she seemed sullen and sad. Still, there was nothing in that memory that could answer the riddle, unless- 

She'd started keeping a diary after that day. And that diary documented every second of her waking hours. The girls had never understood why she kept one, but Aria must have known it would come into handy. Get that diary, and all the answers would be revealed. But that diary, like all of Aria's possessions, was in the lion's den – with Ezra. And he sure as hell would not be willing to give them the diary after everything they had said. But she still had to try.

Grabbing her coat and keys, she walked out the front door, finally knowing where to go.

.xXx.

After the driver of that car saw her yesterday, Aria knew it was only a matter of time before she was found. She couldn't have that happening – if Alex knew she was back, she would target the Liars again and all hell would break lose. Of course, she couldn't sit around like a lame duck either, so she did the only thing she could – move headquarters.

Ever since her discharge, Aria had been hiding out at the Lost Woods Resort. Spencer hadn't sold it in the end, and didn't care much about its patrons, so Aria could easily check in with the help of a fake ID and a wig. As for the funeral, she'd forged a request from before her death to keep the coffin sealed at all times. Everything was taken care of.

But now, with the possibility of someone knowing she was alive, it was way too dangerous. She needed to move somewhere that couldn't be easily found, somewhere that was still in Rosewood, so that she could watch over the girls. They might have cut off ties with her, but she still felt she needed to protect them. Somewhere like her house.

Her father hadn't sold the house; he'd felt it had too much sentimental value. And since the Montgomery family was now in Texas, it would be safe to move into the house. Surely her friends wouldn't go there.

Gathering her few possessions (her red coat, fake ID, wig, contacts, clothes and medicine, as well as about a hundred bucks and some canned food), she hurried out the door, checking out and hurrying along the forest path, disappearing into the night.

.xXx.

Hanna had had enough of waiting. It took a day for her to gather enough courage to face Ezra, and another hour to choose an outfit that screamed "I'm not going to take no for an answer". After all that waiting around, she finally decided to make a move. She drove to Ezra's, taking as long as possible to trudge up the stairs, and hesitated at the door. Maybe she should reapply her lipstick first.

Just as she found her pocket mirror, she heard another person climbing up the stairs. Hanna froze. What if that was Ezra? Stabbing out her lipstick like a knife, she backed against the door…

"Emily?" Hanna gasped.

"Hanna?" Emily gasped too, equally surprised.

"What are you doing here? I'm going to talk to Ezra! You too?" they asked, replied to each other, and exclaimed in unison. "Okay, on three, we say what we came to talk to Ezra about," Hanna sighed, putting away her lipstick, "one, two-"

"I'm here to ask for Aria's diary," both of them blurted out, before looking at each other in shock.

"But… Why didn't you tell me?" Emily asked.

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe because the last time I saw you, you were ready to kill Aria again. What could I have said? Hey, I'm going to collect the diary of the dead friend you hated to prove her innocent?" Hanna said.

"Yes!" Emily replied.

Both girls looked at each other dead in the eye. "Fine. We'll ask together." Emily sighed.

Hanna nodded, raising her fist to knock on the door, but just as she was about to rap her knuckles on the wood, the door opened, revealing a very drunk Ezra.

"What're you bitches doing here?" he slurred, a bottle of beer in his hand.

"Nothing, we, um, came to grab some stuff!" Emily answered, Hanna nodding stiffly.

"And why would I let you? You two are just dumbasses who can't bother to forgive your friend. You hear that? You're both bitchy bitches…" Ezra growled, before slumping to the ground unconscious.

"That certainly simplifies things," Hanna commented, stepping over him to enter the house. "Come on, Em," she chided impatiently.

Emily hesitantly followed her blonde friend into the messy house, littered with crumbs, beer bottles and pictures of Aria. Clearly Ezra still hadn't gotten over her death.

"Where would I put my dead girlfriend's things? Nowhere, of course, especially if I've been living on the couch for the past few days. Aria's stuff is still in the bedroom, Han!" Emily exclaimed as the two girls walked into the room. It was much cleaner in there, as if Aria hadn't ever left.

Sure enough, on the bedside table was Aria's most prized possession: her diary. Grabbing it, Hanna motioned to Emily to leave as she walked out, bumping into a very wound up Ezra.

"And what stuff did you take, exactly?" Ezra boomed. Both girls gasped as he raised the bottle high, preparing to throw it at his ex- students. Just as the glass came into contact with Hanna's neck, Emily rushed forward, kneeing him in the groin. As Ezra doubled over in pain, Emily grabbed Hanna's arm and dragged her out the house, slamming the door behind them.

"That was close," Hanna breathed out in relief as the drunken Ezra pounded on the door, not realising he could open it.

"We should go before he gets out," Emily suggested. The two hurried out, each starting their own cars as they drove up to Spencer's.

.xXx.

"Spence! Call Ali! We have really important news-" Hanna began, before realising Alison was right there with Spencer.

"Um… What's going on here?" Emily asked.

"You can share your important news, but first, Ali has something to tell us," Spencer said. Alison nodded, stepping forward.

"Guys, Aria's alive. I saw her."

.xXx.

Four girls in a circle, whispering words they couldn't hear. Two figures, good cloaked in red, evil in black. Two reactions, one a worried one as she wondered what they could be talking about, one jealous as she lamented the failure of her plan.

Two figures turning away, one wiping tears from their eyes as they thought the girls were safe, one pulling out a burner phone as they typed out a message and hit send.

Two plans, both involving the four girls, but one good, and one bad.

.xXx.

 **Chapter 6, people. Also, just a side note – chapters will no longer be posted daily (as you have inferred by now) but instead once or twice a week, on Fridays and sometimes Wednesdays. Thanks for all the continued support!**


	7. Author's Note

**Chapter 6.5: Author's note**

 **No, this is not a new chapter, although Chapter 7 will be posted tomorrow, hopefully!**

 **I'm making another announcement or two, and these are IMPORTANT. So please take a minute to read on :).**

 **Firstly, I'm uploading this story on Wattpad too, under the username Cryztalz4 (Yes, I'm obsessed with crystals). It's just because I have an account and a friend of mine wanted me to post it there, but if you do happen to chance across the story, don't worry, it hasn't been stolen, it's still me! The only difference between this version of it and the Wattpad version are the Author's notes, which I mostly deleted so far.**

 **Secondly, the national exams start in three weeks, but the preliminary round starts on Thursday, so I'll be going on hiatus in two weeks. Friday (11** **th** **August) will be the last chapter for a while, then I'll be back in the first week of October, and chapters will be posted daily again. Despite this, during the week of the 9** **th** **of August, I'll be posting double (I hope) because it's the National Day Holidays!**

 **Finally, I need to take a moment to announce a poll I'm conducting. After my exam, I'll have all the time in the world to write, so I'm asking you guys for ideas. I've listed out several ideas; I plan on using all of them, but I want to know which one I should start on first. Please go over to my profile and vote!**

 **Thanks for your time, and I'll see you in the next chapter!**


	8. Did You Miss Me?

**Chapter 7: Did you miss me?**

"She's what?" Hanna asked.

"She's alive. And she's Redcoat now." Alison repeated.

"But that's impossible! She's DEAD! Ezra nearly killed us because of it!" Emily cried.

"Wait, back up. He did?" Spencer said.

"Long story. Anyway, how did you know?" Hanna enquired.

"I was driving near the park around midnight to get some fresh air," Alison began. ("Fresh air in a CAR and at MIDNIGHT?" Spencer mumbled.) "And I saw Redcoat near a picture of Aria and some candles, and she lowered her hood and I saw her. It couldn't have been a hallucination. I saw her," Alison explained.

"Her funeral is tomorrow, Ali. We'll take a look at the coffin then, okay? But now I need to worry about what to wear and Ezra being there," Hanna sighed.

"But where would Aria be living? She can't be at the Lost Woods; I would know if my dead friend showed up," said Spencer. "She could be at the Montgomery house. They're currently at The Radley for the time being, and they'll be moving to Texas in two days. The house is empty, so she could be there," Hanna suggested.

Everyone blinked at her until Emily said, "That could be true, but can we show them the diary first?" Hanna nodded and held out the weather-worn book. "We went over to find some answers," she explained as Spencer ushered them inside.

"Where do we start reading?" Alison asked.

"Best start from the beginning."

 _1 March 2009_

 _Dad's having an affair. I got this diary to keep track of my life, because I don't think I can anymore._

 _I wish I could tell Mom, but Dad told me not to. He says he'll be doing it himself, but he hasn't done anything so far._

"Nothing we don't know about in the first 6 months. Let's skip to September," Spencer said.

 _1 September 2009_

 _Ali's gone missing. We don't know where she went. Spence was the last one to see her, but I don't think she had anything to do with it. She would never do that._

 _Dad says we're moving to Iceland for a year. I really have no choice, but he'll be working more there and I can spend less time with him. He still hasn't told Mom. I'm thinking of telling her myself._

The girls skipped more entries, occasionally pausing to ponder a sentence or two. The entries got more recent, Aria's handwriting less neat and the pages less crumpled as they flipped through the pages of her life. Names slipped by: Ezra, Malcolm, Mona, Charlotte… And then they reached the turning point in Aria's life. The day and decision which indirectly ended her life. Or maybe not, knowing what Alison had seen.

 _30 May 2017_

 _A.D. called. She wants me to work for them. I don't know who they are; she used this weird code to insert my face and voice in the video call._

 _I was about to decline and tell them to go to hell, then they dropped a bomb. If I didn't help them, they would tell the whole world that the girls killed Rollins or whatever his name was. I asked them why they wanted me to help, and A.D. said they saw potential in me. I don't know why she isn't threatening to put me in jail too._

 _I hated it, but I had to accept, or the girls will spend their life in jail. I hate to betray them like this. I can't, but I have to. If you three ever read this, I'm sorry._

"She never betrayed us for Ezra…" Alison began.

"She betrayed us for… us," Hanna finished.

"And we yelled at her for it…" Emily whimpered.

Spencer turned the page, saying, "There's one more entry. Let's read it first."

 _6 June 2017_

 _They found out. I tried to keep it secret, but they found out._

 _I was meeting A.D. in the park, but I heard something and went over to check and they caught me. They yelled at me, and I wanted to deny all of it and say it was for a puzzle piece, but I could tell they wouldn't believe me. I lost their trust, and Spence looked so hurt. I couldn't tell them the truth either._

 _So I lied. I did what I did best but hated, and I told them it was for Ezra. They yelled at me again, but I didn't care. They hate me now. I'm fine with that, but A.D. won't be. Sooner or later they'll get rid of me. I'm useless now._

 _I need to stop them before someone gets hurt. I have access to their files for now, but not for long. I now know one of their plans. A.D is going to_

The diary ended there, the only thing following it was a torn piece of paper, as if someone had removed the entry.

"There's a post-it," Spencer pointed out, pulling it off the back cover.

 _It's not safe. I found out the full extent of the plan, and A.D. knows I've betrayed them. The rest of the diary has been hidden well. When all this blows over, I'll get it back. But now, I've hit_ _ **rock bottom**_ _._

"There was more to the plan," whispered Alison, "and Aria knew about it."

"More? What could be worse than kidnapping us, locking us in that hut and trying to blow us all up?" Hanna exclaimed, to the glares of the other two. "Sorry," she mumbled.

Emily turned away, sighing. "What troubles me most is that that information is still out there. If A.D. gets a hold of it-"

"Alex is long gone. In jail. Nothing else to worry about. Now we just have to find those diary pages. And why is 'rock bottom' highlighted?" Spencer chided as all their phones beeped.

 _I'm back, bitches. Did you miss me? Looks like we're both looking for those pages. Better hope you find it first, or else when I continue the plan, you won't know what hit you. – A.D._

"Oh no," they all said, going pale.

Alex was back, and the girls were in for a hell of a ride.

.xXx.

 _ **Paris, France – two weeks ago.**_

 _Mona walked into the holding room of her two dolls. Picking up a little porcelain teapot, she looked expectantly at May Drake and her daughter._

" _We ran out of tea," the younger Drake growled._

" _Manners, my little doll. Slide the teapot into the box, please," Mona instructed._

 _Alex did as she was told, smiling slyly. The inside of the teapot was coated in arsenic, which she's found in some well-hidden rat traps. As Mona filled the pot with scalding hot water, Alex nodded at her mother, who got ready her part of the plan._

 _Just as Mona slid the pot back into the room, Mary Drake began to hack and cough madly. "She's been sick for a while now. Could we please have some medicine?" Alex simpered._

 _Mona sighed and opened a cupboard, pulling out some Panadol. Alex looked at her again, saying, "Could we please go out there for once? We need a change of scenery." Mona glared at her, replying with a nod as she bolted shut the electromagnetic vault door and opened the door to the mini-dollhouse._

" _Thank you," said Alex, as she fake fed Mary the pills. "You know, you look really tired. You should have a cup of tea," Alex suggested._

" _No thanks, Alex. Who knows what you put in there," Mona replied._

" _Nothing this time, I swear. To prove it, I'll even drink a full cup before you!" Alex cried._

" _What are you getting at?" Mona asked._

" _Oh, nothing. I just think I ought to turn over a new leaf," Alex grinned, picking up a cup and downing the contents. She grinned widely behind the cup. To tell the truth, she'd been taking small doses of arsenic daily to build up immunity._

 _Mona looked her prisoners up down, shrugging and picking up a cup. Before she put it to her lips, she stopped. Alex felt her heart stop, afraid that Mona had seen the poison. Instead, Mona just said, "You know I don't trust you, right?"_

 _Alex sighed in relief, and replied, "Of course. To new beginnings."_

" _To new beginnings."_

 _Those were the last words Mona would ever say. Within the hour, she was dead, and the two Drakes slipped out the door when she opened it to grab an antidote._

Too easy, _Alex thought,_ now it's time to put my plan into action.

.xXx.

Thankfully, with the information in the diary and the text from Alex, the Liars had forgotten about checking up on the Montgomery house.

Unfortunately, that was also bad, because it meant that Alex was already back in Rosewood, and the Liars knew Aria was alive. Aria's plan had failed, but she couldn't help feeling happy, because they had actually forgiven her.

Of course, the bigger problem now would be to protect the Liars while hidden, while they knew she was watching them. Whoever wore the red coat always did, no matter which side they were on.

Aria also knew that the Liars were now looking for her diary. If they did get a hold of it, they were in more danger than they thought, but Aria knew she'd hidden it well.

Her mind swimming with thoughts, she headed back inside. Tomorrow, at the funeral, she would swing into action.

.xXx.

Before her arrest and imprisonment, Alex had so much money, enough to afford all the technology she needed to be A.D.

Now, dirt poor and a fugitive, she only had a burner phone, spy skills and a diminishing food supply.

She and Mary had gone their separate ways, seeing as Mary was supposed to be a free woman anyway, but Alex had stowed onto countless boats until she reached Rosewood.

 _No matter,_ she sighed, _the plan is simple. It'll work anyway._

And with that, she set to work. Oh yes, the girls were in for a hell of a ride.


	9. Rock Bottom

**Chapter 8: Rock Bottom**

 _If you looked closely into the forest at night, you might see flashes of clothing between the trees. Most of the time, they belonged to mischievous teens completing dares or meeting up, but today, it was different._

 _Aria darted between the trees, following the well-used track. Notebook clutched in her hand, she looked over her shoulder to make sure she wasn't being followed. No one could know she was here. Especially not A.D._

 _She arrived at her destination. Kneeling down, she flipped open the diary to the last entry. Hands trembling, she ripped out as many pages as she could, while still trying to keep a few clues in it. The trees rustled, and she froze for a second, before tripling her speed. Pulling out a penknife, she deepened a small opening in the structure before her, noticeable only to the trained eye, yet enough to contain a few pieces of paper._

 _Aria stuffed the paper into the hole, glancing over her shoulder one last time as she got up and walked away from the Kissing Rock._

.xXx.

"Hanna, if you buy one more thing, I'm going to have to ditch you right now."

Spencer, Emily and Alison all glared at Hanna exasperatedly. "Look, I shop when I'm nervous, okay? Anyway, there's a huge sale that I _cannot_ miss, guys. Ooh, look at those boots!" And with that, she walked off, leaving the others gaping at her.

"Well, you can't blame her. I could use a way to relax," Spencer sighed.

"I thought your idea of relaxing was binge-reading your high-school textbooks and re-taking your SATs," Alison said.

"Guys, can we talk about-" Emily began.

"No."

Sighing, Emily caught up to Hanna and listened to her prattling on about how cute those boots were.

"So can we-" Alison began again.

"Look, if we keep on going back to that text, I can't be here right now. It was a prank. Alex is in jail, and that whole shenanigan is over, okay? Can we just forget about it?" Spencer replied, before continuing, "Okay, maybe, we should talk about it. No one else knew about the A.D. thing."

Alison replied, "She's a practical duplicate of you, Spencer. She could have broken out. She's like a hive of bees that only leaves you alone after you kill every last one of them. No offense."

"This feels like high school all over again," Spencer sighed.

"Look, we'll figure it out when we get home, okay?" Hanna called out. "Now, we need to pay for these!" she exclaimed, waving the pair of boots enthusiastically.

Rolling their eyes, the two girls walked over to their friend.

.xXx.

It was a long, long time before Aria gave up searching for the day.

Ever since the text, Aria had spent her days looking for A.D. She owed it to the girls. In the few days she'd known about it, she'd searched almost the whole town. So far, nowhere yielded any results.

But wait. There was still one more place she hadn't looked. It did make sense for Alex to be there, after all. But if she was there, it would mean one thing.

Aria had been living next to Alex Drake for weeks in the Lost Woods Motel.

.xXx.

It had been an extremely long time since Detective Tanner had been to the quaint house, and frankly, she'd hoped never have to go there again. But duty called, and these girls had a habit of getting into trouble – particularly when death was involved.

Tanner stepped onto the porch and took a moment to straighten her clothes, before clenching her fist and rapping on the door three times sharply.

Spencer answered the door, like she did most of the time, looking surprised at seeing the detective. Tanner turned down her offer for a cup of coffee, grimacing at the taste of what she remembered to be raw cocoa beans.

"So, Detective Tanner, why are you here now?" Alison asked when everyone had gathered.

"I'm sorry I have to be here again, girls, and I have good news and bad news."

"Well, tell us the good news," Emily said.

"You four aren't suspects for once," Tanner replied. The girls nodded grimly, well aware that this meant someone else had died.

"Then why are you here?" Spencer asked.

"I'm here to ask you what you know about the death of Mona Vanderwaal."

.xXx.

 **I know this chapter is really short, but it's 2a.m. now and I just finished the first exam, so I'm not thinking straight. I wrote this much earlier, but I just edited it now and posted it later than I meant to. I really, really will try to upload next week, but if I can't, it's because I'm drowning in homework.**


	10. Lost is Found

**And I'm back again, after an excessively long wait!**

 **Things have just been so hectic, but I'll just take a moment to wish all my fellow Singaporeans a Happy National Day!**

 **This week, I'll be posting chapter 9 and 10, and that's the last of this story for a couple of weeks. I promise I won't forget about this story; I just need the extra time to study. I really hope to post Chapter 11 in the first week of October, as soon as all the exams are over, but if I get caught up in other matters, I'll be back the next week at the latest.**

 **A big thank you to all of you who stuck by my story from the very beginning, and please, enjoy the next 2 chapters!**

 **.xXx.**

 **Chapter 9: Lost is found**

"Mona's _dead_?" all four girls gasped.

"Yes, she is. The French police found her body poisoned by arsenic, and sent me to question you. They also found a sort of holding cell in the basement. She was murdered, most likely by whoever was in it, but we don't know who. All the fingerprints were wiped clean," Tanner explained.

"We… we haven't talked to Mona in years. We don't know what happened to her!" Hanna cried. Just like when she found out Aria had died, she felt no sorrow, but no happiness either.

"Very well then. But if you know who could have done this to her, do call," Tanner smiled, getting up, but pausing before she reached the door. She turned around, facing Spencer. "Please do use more of the wonderful crop that is sugar in your coffee, Miss Hastings. Good day."

And with that, she left, leaving the girls grimacing at each other.

.xXx.

The Montgomery estate was once one of the most welcoming places Spencer had been to. With its looming Bohemian architecture and warm lighting, it made Spencer feel safe.

Now it just looked threatening and mysterious.

"Spence, we shouldn't be doing this! If the alarm system is still on, this could look very bad for us, and we don't even know that she's here, and – Spencer! What the hell are you doing!" Alison yelled.

"Shush! Hanna's hunch makes sense, okay? And the alarm won't go off if we use the – key! If Aria is in there, she hasn't thought to remove the spare key!" Spencer grinned.

"Well. That's great, but can we go now?"

"No! And since when do you care about getting in trouble, Ali? You blinded Jenna!" Spencer sighed.

"To answer your question, since I got buried alive under my gazebo! And I'm not ready to face Aria, anyway! We don't even know if she IS alive!" Alison cried.

"You're the one who saw her!" Spencer sighed as she opened the door and pushed Alison in. "So get in. The only way to find out if she's alive is to go in!"

Alison sighed as she followed Spencer into the house, noting that it did look cleaner than it should have been. Maybe Aria was alive, but that would mean that the funeral the next day would be for nothing…

Shaking off that thought, Alison wandered into the kitchen. Groceries had been hastily dumped on the table, and plates lay piled in the sink. Weird.

"Alright, so maybe someone's been crashing here, but we don't know who. Can we go now?" Alison groaned.

"No, we can't. And even if Aria isn't really alive and this was all for nothing, we need to find out where those pages are hidden! It's the only way to stay one step ahead of Alex, okay?" Spencer exclaimed.

There was a thump behind them, and the two girls whirled around, frightened.

"Spence? Ali?" Aria gasped.

.xXx.

"Where would you hide the pages of a diary which contains information that a mad replica of Spencer Hastings is after?" Hanna thought aloud as she tossed out a pair of old heels.

"Han, stop bombarding me with your inner thoughts, I do not need you listing off this season's fashions for the fourteenth time," Emily sighed, fingering the bright pink post-it that had been stuck on the diary. "Why is 'rock bottom' highlighted? It has to be a riddle of some sort. Like an anagram or a number code."

"Wait, let me see that," Hanna said, snatching away the post-it without waiting for an answer. "Rock bottom…" she mumbled, thinking hard.

"Em! I've got it! Stop thinking so hard – the answer was right in front of our face!" Hanna cried, jumping up. "Rock bottom – Em, it isn't an anagram or a code, it literally means the bottom of a rock!"

"Han, there are a million rocks in Rosewood. Even if some of them are too small to hide those pages, there are still hundreds of thousands of rocks to search!"

"And Aria knew that! Which is why those papers are hidden at the bottom of the Kissing Rock!" Hanna grinned.

Emily gaped at her, something which she seemed to be doing a lot these days. "When did you start eating brain supplements?" she finally offered weakly.

Hanna grinned again, dragging Emily out the door. "Come on, let's go!"

.xXx.

Aria stared at her two friends and them at her, none of them knowing what to do. For a moment, all was normal, everything forgotten, nothing having happened between the three.

Then Aria ran.

She dashed out of the house faster than she looked like she could run, tearing down the street. "Hey, wait!" Alison yelled, hot on her tail. But Aria was still faster. With the speed of a horse, she ran into the down the street and turned round the corner as the girls chased her. On and on they ran, until they reached the edge of the woods. Still, Aria continued running, straight through the trees and pulling up her red hood.

Spencer and Alison stopped just in front of the first tree, panting heavily. "Do we go in?" Spencer asked in between breaths.

"Now you want to stop? When we're this close to getting answers?" Alison panted, "We're going in there." And with that, she followed the trail.

Spencer and Alison approached cautiously, not wanting Aria to bolt again. There was a slight rustle and a shadow up ahead. "That's her!" Spencer cried, dashing ahead.

Twigs snapped, leaves crunched, branches were pushed aside. The trees cleared up ahead and the two girls sped up, knowing that they were close.

BANG!

With a loud 'ow' from someone, Spencer crashed into someone else, who rubbed their skull as Alison skidded to a stop

"Emily? Hanna?" Alison gasped, "What are you doing here?"

"We could ask the same thing! We're looking for those papers!" Hanna cried as Emily berated Spencer for slamming into her.

"'Rock bottom'! You're right! That's a clue hiding in plain sight!" Spencer gasped.

"Could you please shut up and start looking?" Emily snapped, kneeling down and scanning the bottom of the rock.

Each of the girls took a different corner of the rock. They searched once. Twice. Three times. Still, they found nothing, to the point that Alison started searching nearby rocks.

"That clue was either a dud, or we're just searching in the wrong place," Hanna sighed.

"Can we just look one more time?" Alison looked at her.

"Okay," Hanna sighed tiredly, giving the rock one last pat-down for any holes. "Ow!" she yelped, withdrawing her hand to find crimson-red fluid. "Something cut my hand! I'm bleeding over here!" Hanna cried, waving her arms. The others just ignored her.

"What could have cut my hand anyway? It's a smooth rock!" Hanna said, peering at where she had been cut. A tiny opening, no taller than a piece of paper and not much wider, was cut into the rock. If you looked closely, you could see a tiny grey ribbon sticking out of it.

Eyes widening, Hanna called out to the others and traced her fingers over the hole. It was sharp to the touch, and a drop of blood dripped from it. Spencer carefully slid her fingers into the slit, catching hold of the ribbon and tugging. A few pieces of paper tumbled out, covered in a layer of moss. Emily swept aside the plants to reveal familiar, neat, handwriting, continuing from where the girls had left off.

 _kill them all. A.D. is Alex Drake, Spencer's twin sister. She wanted to live Spencer's life at first, but then we started getting all nosy. The girls are getting closer, Alex knows that, and if she gets caught it's all over. She's sick, literally. I checked her files – she has a mental disorder._

 _Killing them straight out still isn't good enough for her. They're going to die believing that when I walk into that shed tomorrow to save them, I did it to earn their trust back. They're going to believe I killed them. And they're going to die a slow, gruesome death. I don't know how, but they are._

 _I know that walking in there tomorrow is absolutely crazy, but I have to do it, or they'll die right away._

The entry ended right there.

"She knew she was going to get herself blown up for us before it happened," Spencer whispered, "and she still did it."

"There's more," Emily said, picking up another piece of paper. It was an address, scribbled hastily onto the paper, the words 'answers over here' scrawled under it. "Obviously we're supposed to go there," she looked up, hope sparkling in her eyes.

"That's not Aria's handwriting," Spencer pointed out.

No one paid her any heed. They were all too preoccupied with hoping all of this to be over. Permanently.

Maybe they should have listened again to Spencer.

.xXx.

Photos and crumbs of food lay strewn over the table, much messier than it should have been. The figure in the black hoodie munched on a crumpet, using a pencil to circle key points on a map.

They looked at the dolls in the dollhouse, each one resembling one of the girls. One hand reached out to toss Mona in the trash. Another grabbed on to Aria, half hidden in the shadows, and quickly snapped its head off, placing it on the table.

Things were about to get way messier than A.D.'s desk.


	11. Begin Again

**Before I begin the chapter, I need to re-emphasize that paragraphs in italics means it's a flashback. Don't get confused, please.**

 **.xXx.**

 **Chapter 10: Begin Again**

 _It was the dead of night. There was plenty of opportunity for A.D. to strike. The question now was whether or not she chose to use it._

 _The girls had been travelling in a pack for the past few days, especially at night. It went like this: Spencer at the front, alert for any noises, Alison and Hanna beside her, and Emily at the rear. By right Aria should have been with her, but that was in the past. Before she'd betrayed them._

 _A rustle in the leaves up ahead sent Spencer running into them, to the protests of the other three. Hanna ran after her, determined to bring her back. Meanwhile, Alison and Emily were left on the road, fidgeting nervously and jumping at any slight noise._

 _Minutes passed. Ten minutes later, neither Hanna nor Spencer was returning their calls, or even sending out a text to tell them to go home. Looking at each other anxiously, they reached an unspoken agreement to go into the woods and look for them._

 _The tree Spencer had named as the 'half-point tree' was just a bit ahead. Emily approached cautiously, looking out for anything unusual Alison hugged herself to the side. Emily poked her head into the clearing and turned back, shaking her head. Whether it meant the other two weren't there or the coast was clear, Alison never found out._

 _With a swift 'thump', something hit the swimmer, hard, in the back of her head, and she fell to the ground, barely having any time to yelp in pain. Alison gasped, running forward, not even able to reach her side before what may or may not have been the same object hit her and she too fell unconscious. Alison never got to see Spencer and Hanna up ahead, both slumped against the trees._

 _The hooded figure known as A.D. emerged from the shadows, pulling out a stack of cash and handing it to the masked assailant, who saluted her and walked off, counting his profit. A.D dragged each of the Liars into her minivan and drove off._

 _Aria had betrayed her. Aria knew who she was, and she was going to warn her friends._

 _Aria had decided to go against A.D, and now, there would be hell to pay._

.xXx.

It was just an address. A location. Several words, scrawled hastily onto a scrap of loose-leaf, but it was causing so much trouble.

To the side, Hanna and Alison were arguing on whether or not it was a trap, Alison finally having realised that it couldn't have been Aria who'd written it, but Hanna remaining firm. Both girls were yelling so loudly that the birds had flown away and Emily had turned up Beyoncé's album to the max, adding to the din.

Spencer was busy studying the words. It looked so familiar, but she just couldn't pin it on a certain location. She was racking her brain, trying to figure out where she had seen it before, but failing. Her stomach rumbled urgently, but she ignored it. Figuring out where this lead to was worth a little hunger.

Her stomach rumbled again, sending pains shooting up her abdomen, Groaning, she gave in, pulling out a pretzel from the shelf. A piece of paper slipped out and fluttered to the floor, seemingly daring Spencer to look at it. Curiosity piqued, Spencer bent down to pick it up and take a look. It was an old flyer for the Lost Woods. Spencer had completely forgotten it was there.

Just as she made to toss it in the trash, something caught her eye. She held it in front of her face, looking at the resort's address, and then looking at the one scribbled on the paper. It was a match!

"Guys, all of you shut up!" Spencer yelled, and the whole house quietened tremendously. Words weren't needed – Spencer held up the flyer and everyone gasped, realising that the answer was right there. No one spoke for a moment, then Emily said, "So… Do we go, or not?"

"We'll take a vote," Hanna suggested, "If you want to go, raise your hand now."

Only Alison's hand remained firmly planted at her side. Scowling at Spencer, she said, "Weren't you the one who said it wasn't Aria who wrote this?"

Spencer shrugged, saying it was worth a shot. Sighing, Alison hung her head, defeated as Emily grabbed her keys and Hanna got into the front seat. Alison trudges out the door, looking at Spencer pointedly when she didn't follow.

"You go on," Spencer said, "I'll catch up."

Nodding, Alison left Spencer alone in her kitchen, gobbling up the pretzel greedily.

.xXx.

 _Emily awoke groggily, blinking in the dim light. When her eyes finally adjusted to the darkness, she found herself in a tiny shed – more specifically, the one the girls went to almost every day when they were younger._

 _She tried to get up, her head still throbbing from the blow, but found herself unable to stand. She looked down, and nearly toppled over in shock. Her legs were tied to those of the chair, her arm restrained behind her back, and she was gagged. Emily looked around, close to tears and found the other three unconscious and restrained, too._

 _After a few minutes of nudging and yelling through her gag, all four Liars were awake. Spencer was trying to cut through the rope with an old, rusty nail, but to no avail. Hanna, meanwhile, had hopped over as fast as she could to the light switch, groaning all the while at the weight of the chair, and with her nose, managed to turn on the lights._

 _All four girls gasped. Now Hanna knew why it had been so hard to move. Every surface of the shed and the chairs was covered in dynamite sticks, all taped or tied to the surfaces. A huge box of TNT stood in the middle of the room, not lit yet, but still threatening._

 _They didn't even have time to process all this when a hooded figure walked in, box of matches in hand. Though the girls pleaded all they could with their eyes, trying to convince A.D. to stop, she paid no heed. Within seconds, the match was lit and brought near the fuse of the TNT. It would be a long, torturous death – the fuse had purposely been made several metres long, but at least it would give the girls time to escape. Without a second thought, A.D lit the fuse and walked out, barring the door shut with a plank._

 _It was over for them. It had to be. They'd ceased their pounding on the door and were now waiting for their deaths. There was nothing anyone could do now._

 _Then, at that exact moment, the sound of the plank being thrown aside snapped the girls back into reality. The door was thrown open, and standing there was their little-but-big friend. Aria._

 _Without a second to lose, she got to work untying each of her friends. With only a minute left, Spencer was still in the hut, only her left arm free. With fumbling fingers Aria undid the knots on her legs, only a few seconds left. Finally, Spencer was free, but the TNT was only seconds away from blowing up. With a last burst of strength, Aria shoved Spencer out, she herself still in the shed._

 _Someone yelled her name as she shed blew up in a brilliant flash of orange and red. Aria stumbled out, covered in blood, shrapnel impaling her limbs, and collapsed in a heap on the ground. Cries of terror and shock were heard. Someone else dialled 911, and as Aria was lifted away on a stretcher, the girls ran toward Rosewood Hospital, all the while watched by A.D._

 _Turning away, A.D. typed out a message and hit send._

.xXx.

"Here we are. The Lost Woods. I haven't been here in ages!" Spencer sighed.

She led the girls into the reception area, expecting to see a lonely Harold talking to a stuffed animal, but the place was empty. The girls didn't think much of it – he was probably out in town for lunch or something.

The key to room 2 was missing, so the girls headed towards it. Hanna opened the door, expecting so see Aria knitting a sweater or something, but instead, the room was empty. Hanna pushed the door open wider, letting the others in.

"Let's get looking," Spencer said, opening a drawer.

Emily looked under the bed, finding only dust bunnies and dead bugs. A soft ticking sound was really starting to annoy her, but she tried to ignore it. No one had found anything so far, and the ticking was just mocking them from the side. Huffing, Emily stormed over to where it was coming from (the bathroom) and flung open the door.

Emily gasped at the sight before her: a literal, ticking time bomb! "RUN!" she yelled, dashing out of the resort as the others followed, all having caught a glimpse of the bomb. Three girls made it out, but Hanna tripped on her heels and fell as the bomb counted down to her final seconds.

BOOM.

In a very déjà vu moment, the resort exploded into a gazillion pieces, three girls safe from the damage. Hanna was nowhere to be found. Emily ran into the debris as the flames crackled, getting bigger, hungry for oxygen. "Em! We have to go now!" Alison yelled over the fire.

"I have to find her!" Emily screamed back, tossing aside planks of wood hysterically.

"It's too late! The fire will get bigger and you're going to burn to death!" Spencer cried, trying to pull Emily back as she flailed about. She succeeded in the end, dragging the swimmer to the car and trying to wrestle her in.

"Hey! You guys aren't leaving without me, are you?" a voice yelled.

All three girls turned to see Hanna, grinning playfully as she walked towards the car and was tackled into a hug by Emily.

"Han, you're alive! How did you survive?" Emily asked, finally letting Hanna get a breather.

"She got me out," Hanna said, pointing behind her.

Standing there in that infamous red coat was Aria, smiling sheepishly.

.xXx.

 _The wait at the hospital was a long one as they waited for news on their tiny friend. Ezra was still on his way, and Byron, Ella and Mike were in the waiting room with them._

 _Four phones beeped and four girls flinched. They should have been used to it by now, but the prospect of someone watching their every move was something you took time to warm up to._

 _Remember what I told you, Spence? – A.D._

" _What did A.D tell you, Spence?" Alison asked._

 _Gulping, Spencer fished out the diary A.D had planted and flipped to the last page. "I didn't want to believe it, but I now think it's true. That's definitely her handwriting," she said. Each of the girls examined it, worry etched on their faces._

" _So what now? We let her destroy our lives again, or we destroy hers," Hanna said, "It's not too hard of a decision."_

 _The girls nodded at one another and trailed out of the room, walking back to the car._

.xXx.

"It's you," Spencer whispered, tears of joy flowing down her face. Aria remained silent, backing away slowly.

"You really are alive," Alison gasped.

"You let us believe you were dead," Emily said quietly.

"You wouldn't have cared either way. That's why I stayed hidden," Aria explained, turning to run, but Hanna grabbed hold of her arm.

"Not until you give us some answers. We've waited two years for this. You're not going anywhere until we know the things your diary didn't say," she said.

Sighing, Aria looked at them dead in the eye. "Everything you need to know, you already know. Can I go now?"

"At least call off your crazy boyfriend and tell him to stop trying to kill us all," Hanna insisted.

"Okay, I will. Can I please go?"

"You can't go now, okay? Not when we just found you! Do you have any idea hoe torn I was when I found out you were dead? And now you're leaving again! At least let us apologise, we owe you one for what we said and did to you, when in fact you were trying to protect us! We're sorry, okay!" Spencer cried.

Aria looked them down, whispering, "I forgive you. And I won't keep running if you don't want me to."

The girls stood in silence for a few minutes, before Emily spoke up, "This is great and all, but I think we should stare intently at each other in the car. The police will be here any second."

"Yeah, and then Mary's going to kill me," Spencer mumbled.

"We have to go now. Come on, Aria," Alison said.

And during the ride back to Rosewood, though the Liars couldn't have been happier, the figure in the shadows was more enraged than ever before. If they wanted to play this game, then Alex could, too.

 _Game on bitches – A.D._


	12. Hurdles to Cross

**Well, I really tried to stay away from writing for a while, but apparently I failed… The first two exams are over, and the next is in two weeks (which I can't even study for, on account of it being a listening test), so why not update this story? :P**

 **Before I begin the chapter, I'm going to go ahead and shamelessly promote a new story I'm writing, in collaboration with my good friend noodlesfanatic, called Stranger Beasts, which will be posted very soon! It's a Harry Potter Universe/Stranger things crossover. (I don't watch Stranger Things, but I was dragged into writing the fanfic because we were really bored and I needed answers about what the Veil does.) Anyway, if you aren't already bored half to death by my rambling, please check it out! (It's posted on noodlesfanatic's account, not mine.)**

 **.xXx.**

 **Chapter 11: Hurdles to cross**

We often face problems in our everyday lives. Of those problems, a large percentage of them often turn out to be mistakes that we have trouble owning up to – but those mistakes we make are mostly small ones, like forgetting to turn in a paper, yet we still overreact about them.

Oh, how Aria wished she had that privilege to freak out about a paper right now.

"I can't do this," she stated for the umpteenth time, crossing her arms and sitting in the car like a spoilt child.

"We talked about this, like a million times on our way home! Just walk in and out, okay?" Hanna yelled, as she and the other girls stood outside the car, trying to drag the petite girl out.

"Fat load of good that did Ali. She ended up getting grilled by the cops for weeks, and I don't want that! The last thing I need is getting a doctor or two fired because I bribed them to change the medical records!" Aria shot back.

"You bribed a doctor?" Spencer cried.

"Shut up, Spence. We're here to get Aria to tell the cops, not to make it worse," Hanna snapped.

"Okay, all of you stop. If Aria isn't going in now, I'm doing it for her," Emily said, turning towards the station.

Aria's eyes flew open as she realised what Hanna was about to do. "Em, wait! I'll do it okay? I don't want you twisting the story!"

Emily smirked as Aria practically ran up to the door, then caught Spencer, Alison and Hanna staring at her. "You just have to threaten them sometimes. Gently, of course," she explained.

.xXx.

"So, let me get this straight. You ran off, trying to start a new life someplace else, then came running back when your friends saw you? You are well aware that faking your death is a criminal charge in this country, right?" Tanner said.

"Yes, I am."

"And you still went ahead to do it, knowingly putting the jobs of two doctors on the line in the process?" Tanner continued.

"Yes, I did."

"My, my, Aria. I always thought you were the innocent one. But you being alive has brought up a new breakthrough in our latest murder investigation," Tanner watched Aria closely, examining her every move, "So, Aria, where were you three weeks ago, when Mona Vanderwaal was murdered?"

Aria gasped. Mona was dead? She'd always assumed she was happy in France, being Mona and running for president or something. But now, she was dead, and it was most likely Alex who had done it.

"I… I was at the Lost Woods Resort… Hiding out…" Aria stammered. She shouldn't have been so nervous, it was the truth, but somehow she knew Tanner would take the truth and twist it like a pretzel, until it was as gnarly as an old tree trunk.

"Really? Well, on account of the motel having been blown up as of tonight, we have no way to confirm that. Any idea who did that?" Tanner asked.

"No, I don't!" Aria exclaimed.

Tanner looked Aria intently in the eye, thinking hard. A famous philosopher once said that eyes were the windows to the soul – sense the slightest bit of hesitation in them and you can spot a lie. It seemed that Tanner was trying to make use of that concept, staring Aria down so intently that she was surprised there wasn't a hole burned through her face.

"Alright, Miss Montgomery. You're free to go for now, but I suggest we leave your family and fiancée a message," Tanner finally said.

"That's it? That's all you're gonna ask me?" Aria said, surprised.

"For now, that's all. But you should get a phone. I might need you to come back," Tanner said, walking out of the room to make a few calls. And the very first person she called was Officer Barry Maples.

"Meet me in the office. There's been a new suspect added to the list," she instructed as she picked up a blue marker and uncapped it, writing a few words on the whiteboard in her office.

 _Aria Montgomery – Guilty?_

.xXx.

"Yes, Mr Montgomery, she was found today by her friends. She'd bribed the doctors to fake her death."

" _Can you get her on the line, please? Is she available? Why did she fake her death? Was there a complication, or… is that monster back?"_

"We don't have the answers to those questions, either, sir. But Aria is over here, if you want to-"

" _Damn right, I want to talk to her! Put her on the line now!"_

Aria was handed the phone by Tanner, who was already trying to phone up Ezra.

"Dad?" she whispered timidly.

" _Aria! Oh, you're alive! We can't tell you how happy we are to hear that, in fact, your mother is already packing to come back! We'll be back in two days!"_ Byron said on the other end of the line.

"You don't have to, Dad. I'm fine here, really, I just-" Aria began.

" _Where is she? Put her on the line right now! I need to talk to her!"_ Aria barely had time to register the furious voice in the background before she heard the voice again and a yelp of disapproval, " _You think you can just fake your death and come back to life like we're going to be okay with it? You can't give me the excuse that you had to; we're not in high school anymore! You made us go to your funeral, and now you're back. We're not your dolls; you can't just disappear and come back like we'll be okay with it!"_

And with that, the line went dead, beeping monotonously. That person, which could only have been Mike, was more than angry with her for doing what she did – he was utterly furious, and Aria could understand why. He'd already been through all this once when Mona faked her death, and now his own sister had done it, too.

"Miss Montgomery? I've contacted Mr Fitz, but he's unable to come down to the station right now and is waiting for you in his loft. Is there anyone else we should be contacting?" Tanner asked.

"No, not right now," Aria replied, still shaking from her scolding.

"Then I suggest you go home. Don't waste any more time here," Tanner smiled.

.xXx.

The girls had offered to give Aria a ride home. She'd readily accepted, of course, for she didn't want anyone seeing her walking home. It would only cause more trouble.

The ride home was one in silence. No one spoke, and it seemed no one was breathing, either. Still, Spencer managed to convey the message through a series of glares – don't mention Aria's family.

Hanna, of course, being Hanna, paid no heed to her warning. "You know, Aria, it really isn't fair that Mike yelled at you. I mean, he doesn't understand what happened or anything," she commented casually.

Spencer glared at her, and Alison said, "Thanks for the insight, Han, but can we please move on now?"

Hanna ignored them and continued, "But Ezra should have come to the station. If Caleb was found alive, I'd ride on a lightning bolt if I had to just to see him quicker. Why couldn't he come again?"

Emily kicked her, saying, "Moving on, Han!"

"Ow! Why'd you kick me? And I just started talking about this, there's no need to move on!" Hanna complained.

At that moment, Aria promptly burst into tears.

"That's why we need to move on," Spencer sighed, watching the whole scene from the rear-view mirror.

"All this trouble started when you faked your death," Hanna grumbled, loud enough for all to hear.

"If I'd gotten some sign that you'd forgiven me, I wouldn't have had to do it!" Aria yelled.

"So it's our fault now? After you chose to work for Alex? Don't say you were protecting us, because we would rather have gone to jail than you betray us!" Hanna yelled back.

"Han! That's not true!" Spencer chided, pulling over.

Within seconds, the whole car was noisier than a shopping mall on Christmas. Everuone was screaming at each other, not knowing or caring if they heard it or not. Frustrated, Aria shoved oven the door and slammed t shut after getting out.

"Aria, wait! What are you doing?" Alison called after her disappearing form, which offered no reply as it stormed towards the Brew.

"Leave her, Ali. Let her fake her death again," Hanna snapped, sulking to the side.

.xXx.

The Brew was long since closed when Aria arrived, but she still kept a spare key with her. She fumbled slightly with her ring of keys, trying to find the right one while pondering her predicament. Maybe Hanna was right, maybe she should have stayed gone. None of this would have happened otherwise.

Aria finally found the right key and entered the café, locking the door behind her. She trudged up the stairs, faintly aware of voices coming from the loft. Was Ezra on the phone? No, he couldn't be, there were two voices, a male's (definitely Ezra's) and a female's, and both were whispering intimately, although Aria was right outside the door and could hear them.

 _No, he wouldn't be seeing someone so soon… He was ready to murder Spence and Em a few days ago because they didn't come to see me… But maybe he moved on… Maybe that's why he left immediately after I died,_ Aria thought.

Breathing in slowly, Aria opened the door tentatively. What she saw inside would never really be erased from her mind.

Ezra was on the couch, but he wasn't alone. Sitting next to him, captured in a passionate lip lock with him, was a very familiar looking, short, Australian brunette.

"Nicole?" Aria gasped out loud, causing the two heads to turn in her direction.

"Aria? You're… You're really alive! I thought it was a prank call, so I ignored it, and… and…" Ezra stuttered, but there was no need to explain.

"And you seized the chance to make out with your ex-girlfriend just two days after my funeral," Aria cried, tears welling in her eyes, "Let's face it, Ezra. You could never love me the same way again after you met Nicole. I wasn't good enough for you, was I? I never was."

"Aria, I thought you were dead," Ezra stated.

"And I understand that, Ezra! What I don't understand is how you could bear to move on just two days after my funeral, when you should at least be nearing the end of your grief! You shouldn't be jumping onto the Nicole train so soon when you waited five years to do that with me!" Aria yelled.

"Right, I think I'll go now," Nicole said, getting up.

"No, stay. I think Ezra's made his feelings for you very clear," Aria cried, running off.

Ezra called her name, but she didn't hear it. She couldn't. She didn't even notice that he was taking off after her as she ran across the road, nearly getting hit by a car.

She should really have stayed gone.

.xXx.

"That was rude of you," Spencer sighed.

"I know, I was a bitch, but I was just tired and cranky and-" Hanna began.

"Okay, tell that to Aria later. Right now, we need to find her," Alison cut her off as Spencer drove towards the high school.

"Wait, guys, is that someone on the roof?" Emily gasped suddenly, pointing at the school. Hanna peered at the figure, not very tall, with brown hair flying in the wind.

"That's Aria! Stop the car!" she exclaimed, practically jumping out and dashing to the entrance. The door was open (most likely lock-picked by Aria), so Hanna run up as fast as she could, desperate to stop her friend from doing something terribly idiotic. Aria was standing at the edge of the building, looking like she could fall any minute.

"Aria! You don't have to do this! I'm sorry for what I said, okay? Don't do something stupid just because of my crankiness!" Hanna screamed over the wind.

Aria turned around, her face and nose red, tears flowing down her face from eyes reflecting the sorrowful life of one who had been wronged over and over. The others arrived on the rooftop, all trying to get her to stop, and climb down from the edge, that she shouldn't die like this.

Aria heard nothing. There was no purpose in life anymore. With eyes suddenly filled with defiance and determination, she turned back, took a deep breath, and jumped.

.xXx.

 **Obviously, that isn't the end of the story. But what do you guys think – does Aria really jump, or is this just a scare, like the one in 6x10? See you guys soon, hopefully!**


	13. Moments Later

**Woah, how's it get so dusty in here? *Checks when I last posted a chapter* Oh, explains much.**

 **Did you miss me? Well, I missed this story. I'm finally off hiatus and got over my writers' block with no more complications (hopefully) and more chapters coming up soon! So I won't hold you up any longer with my babbling. Here's chapter 12!**

 **.xXx.**

 **Chapter 12: Moments Later**

She jumped.

She'd really, actually jumped.

Horror and shock spread across the girls' faces, for the one person who possibly had answers had just attempted suicide – and very likely succeeded. They'd just found her again, they'd only had an hour or so with her, and now she might just have left them again.

"Call 911!" Emily screamed, running down the stairs.

Aria was lying face-down on the pavement in a pool of blood, her burner phone lying next to her, a long clack running down the screen, spidering across the glass. Spencer hastily slipped it into her pocket as Hanna ran up to her, calling for an ambulance.

"She's not breathing," Spencer cried, shaking the tiny girl.

"Well, she has to, okay? She has all the answers we need, and now she commits suicide? Something had to have happened to make her do this," Alison said.

"Can we discuss this later?" Emily snapped.

The road outside Rosewood High was a flurry of frantic voices and cries of 'Aria!' The ambulance arrived not long after, and paramedics lifted Aria on a stretcher, the ambulance promptly driving off again with a series of siren wails as soon as Aria was in the back.

"Come on, we have to get to the hospital," Alison said, already running to the car.

Emily shot the fast disappearing ambulance one final look as it sped off. "She'll be fine," she said to herself, and turned towards the car.

.xXx.

It felt like forever before they got there and another forever before Ezra joined them. In hindsight, that probably wasn't so bad. With everything that had happened the past 2 years, a yelling match was almost certainly going to occur.

"What on Earth are you guys doing here? Here to gloat?" Ezra snapped.

"You're one to talk! What happened between you and Aria that was so bad she jumped?" Spencer fired back.

"None of your damn business!" Ezra yelled, face turning red.

Patients were staring at the five by now, with some nurses even shushing them, but no one cared. All of them were so close to blowing their tops that nothing might've stopped them.

Until the doctor arrived.

Immediately, the yelling ceased and the poor man was bombarded with questions, hardly getting enough time to answer one before someone yelled out another. In fact, even when he did try to answer, his response was drowned out by more questions until Spencer yelled, "Can we let this guy have a breather?"

The doctor sighed, relieved, and shot Spencer a grateful look. "Look, as I was trying to say, there really isn't any easy way to tell you this. After the last incident, we checked and waited for almost fifteen minutes, but nothing changed. I'm sorry. Your friend – she's gone."

Blank shock and nothing more appeared on all five faces. Oh, how the girls wished they could travel back in time there and then to find out what really happened to make Aria do this. But now, they were stuck here, in a world they prayed didn't exist, hoping that some miracle would occur to bring Aria back to life again. Deep down though, they all knew it was over, that this was the end for her. Escaping death once had been amazing, twice would be impossible.

What happened next happened in a blur. Ezra left to see Aria's body, and the girls headed back to Spencer's barn. No one spoke unless necessary and it seemed that the skies agreed on what a terrible day it was. Rain poured down on Rosewood as lightning illuminated the town, each flash only reminding the girls of the dangers to come if they were to take down A.D.

.xXx.

 _Aria sat on the edge of Rosewood High's rooftop, contemplating life and fidgeting with her burner phone. Maybe yelling at Ezra had been wrong; he did deserve love, after all._

 _The phone lit up, prompting Aria to snap out of it. She paused to check the time, and then opened the message._

 _Poor Aria, getting all hurt! – A.D._

 _Aria's fists clenched as she typed back, each click of the keypad only making her angrier. Here, sitting on the other end of a screen, was her tormentor, who'd taken everything from her. Here was the monster who wasn't afraid to kill to get back at someone._

Leave me alone, _she typed, hitting send._

 _Oh, really? I was just about to make you an offer you can't refuse – literally. You'll hear me out and do as I say, or someone will pay the price – A.D._

What do you want? I've already lost everything to you!

 _The other bitches can't know a thing about what you found out about me. All you have to do is to get yourself out of the picture and no one gets hurt – A.D._

How do I know you're not lying to me?

 _You don't – A.D._

 _Aria paused for a few moments. Death didn't seem so bad at the moment, not when everyone she loved hated her or had moved on. But the girls needed her information, or else they would remain in the dark about everything that was about to come._

You're basically asking me to trade my life for theirs.

 _All I asked was for you to get out of the game. I never told you to die. In fact, you can still live through all this if you do as I say. You were always my favourite Liar – A.D._

 _Aria could barely consider this further before Spencer's car pulled up and Hanna scrambled out. Her phone beeped a final time._

 _Better hurry, little liar – A.D._

Screw this life. I've had enough, _Aria thought. She fumbled with an SD card in her pocket and opened the battery compartment of her burner phone. With just seconds before Hanna would arrive, she fitted the SD card into the slot and closed it, shoving the burner phone back into her pocket._

 _Hanna burst open the rooftop door, yelling something Aria couldn't hear as she launched herself off the roof._

 _And then she was falling, the wind trying to blow her back up but failing, a gentle breeze ruffling her hair as the last moments of her life played out, seemingly in slow motion. It was the lightest she'd felt in a long, long time._

 _But then the moment ended, her friends' horrified expressions burning into her eyes as they screamed her name, reaching out too late to grab her. The impact of the fall didn't feel like much compared to the burning sadness and pain she had after seeing those looks._

 _And as she felt her life's essence flow out of a gash on her head, the last thing she did was to mutter a silent prayer, for the life she was departing and the friends left behind._

.xXx.

 **Boom.**

 **Well, I really hope I can post the next chapter soon, but unfortunately if my computer decided to bail on me again, or if my writer's block comes back, it may be delayed :P**

 **I really hope you enjoyed this chapter. I spent all my free time drafting out certain paragraphs when I should have been studying xD.**


	14. ANNOUNCEMENT (not part of the story)

**Chapter 12.5: ANNOUNCEMENT**

 **Hey guys.**

 **I do apologise for not updating this story recently. A lot has just been going on in my life, and I've been dealing with a lot of personal issues (don't worry, I passed my exams)**

 **It really pains my heart to say, but I'm starting school again next week, and because I'm entering a new school, it's going to be a transition period of my life. I'll have to put writing on hold, as well as PLL. Don't get me wrong, I'll still be posting chapters, just not as regularly as I'd promised you guys a few months ago.**

 **Another thing I wanted to mention is that I've actually lost interest in this story. When the idea of it popped into my head one night, I envisioned it to be a grand old thing, so great that it would be my greatest achievement in life. Well, I was wrong. I still think that the concept of this fanfiction, if ever completed by a good writer, could turn out well, but at this point of time I simply don't have the motivation, time or talent to finish it. Like I said earlier, I will try to finish this eventually, but it'll be much more anticlimactic than I'd originally planned, and the ending will come in 2 or 3 chapters. This story will also most likely be my last fanfiction.**

 **And in case you're wondering based on my depressing paragraphs so far, no, I haven't fallen into depression. I just realised that I could never pull off writing fanfiction for such a complex, deep TV series like PLL.**

 **I'm sorry to all of my loyal readers who are disappointed in me for this. I, too, hope that one day, I'll be able to re-write this whole fanfiction. Next time, I'll make it right.**

 **Sophie (Yes, that's my real name)**


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